Looking for ADR Advice (January Adults Only Trip)

Hello! I would love help thinking about ADRs for a January anniversary trip. This is what we’ve got so far:

Arrival Day - Early Dinner at Sci-Fi (we’ll be at DHS to see F! for the first time)
UOR Day - Late Dinner at Artist Point (we’ll be staying at WL for first part of trip)
MK Day - Dinner at BOG (this is for me because I’m a huge Beauty and the Beast fan, I don’t really even care if the food is amazing)
AK/EPCOT Day - Dinner at Flying Fish Café
Departure Day - Breakfast at Boma (we’ll be at AKL for second part of trip)

I’m mostly worried about FF on our EP day. This would be mostly for me, as DH doesn’t like seafood (and would actually be put off by a restaurant with a really fishy smell…) I’m wondering if Yachstman or Le Cel would be a better choice…? I love seafood, but think I might be able to get that fix at AP.

All thoughts and opinions welcome! We won’t be going back until Summer 2016, at the earliest, so I’ve got to make it count. :smile:

Sound like good choices (assuming you know about the quirky tables at Sci-Fi and have found something on the menu that you’ll like there). If you’re looking to change the Flying Fish reservation and staying at Animal Kingdom Lodge, then a late night dinner at Jiko, after returning from Epcot, could be an option. Great food and environment for an anniversary celebration and you could easily find snacks or appetizers in Epcot if you wanted something to tide you over until the late meal (maybe stop for drinks and share an appetizer at Tutto Gusto)

@FlyerFan is right about Jiko. Sanaa is great too. Are you trying to eat in the area of Epcot? I have not eaten at Flying Fish but people love it. They love Yachtsman too. I think it would be fun to walk around YC/BC. If you eat in the Boardwalk area, be aware that if Epcot closes, you might want to take a cab back to AKL. No buses from resort to resort. You have to go to a park and transfer. It can take a long time and might not be a very romantic end to the evening

It’s the only one I haven’t eaten at, but from your criteria, I would still drop Flying Fish. I’d switch to a late/post Illuminations Yachtsman. It’s not just seafood, but if they have a Portland to Portland surf and turf at Artist Point, I’d recommend it a lot. 1/2 stuffed lobster and buffalo filet.

That’s a good point from @BearsMom2011 about transportation back to the resort afterward, though if you eat at Yachtsman, Flying Fish, or anything in the Boardwalk area, then I could see a couple options. One would be to eat before Epcot closes, then return to the park for Illuminations and leave from there. Also, you would also be a 10-15 walk from the parking lot and bus stop at the Studios, which could be a pleasant end to the evening around the parks (though it would depend when the Studios closed that day how late the buses were still running).

Thank you all - these are great thoughts!

For some reason I hadn’t even thought about Jiko, which seems like it could be a great option for us. If the restaurant closes at 10 pm, does anyone know what the last seating/ADR time would be…? I will have to investigate that, as we’d like to max out our time at EP.

The idea of finally seeing a bit of the Boardwalk/EP resort area still intrigues me, though…hmmm…

And I have my fingers crossed the surf and turf will be on the menu when we visit, @TheGraceysButler! It sounds wonderful!

Good point on the walk to HS parking @FlyerFan1973. A nice option! We walked that several times during our BW stay. Much of it is along the waterway @Sally_Carrera

You can always try and park at an Epcot resort and going into the part. that weekend it shouldn’t be an issue. Did that in August when we finished the night at Kouzzina.

are you doing ak and Epcot in one day? if so, I would eat in Epcot. I find Epcot to be a lot to do in one day. adding in ak then leaving for dinner would be a lot for me.

that said, I love Jiko. I like flying fish too. if I had to choose between the two I would pick Jiko especially if I was staying there. I am a seafood person and my husband is not. he liked both places but loved Jiko.

Wow. For me AK is a full day and EP is at least 1 1/2, so doing both parks in 1 day is brutal in my eyes. That being said, EP has SO many good dining choices, and as you’re only going to have one night there, I would stay in the park for dinner. If you’re looking for signature dining, Le Cel (great steaks) and Monsieur Paul (high end French bistro fare) are both very good and right there in WS. If you’re not specifically looking for signature dining, there are about a dozen other WS restaurants to choose from.

On the FF vs. Jiko discussion, I come down solidly on the Juko side; I think the food is better, and the atmosphere is much more intimate than the rather crowded/noisy FF.

If you still wanted to “see” the DW, it’s an easy walk out the international gateway, and after illuminations you could walk/boat to the BW and go to Jellyroll’s for some fun adults-only dueling piano action…

I totally agree about EP and AK, @bswan26! Unfortunately, it’s a pretty short trip, and DH really wants to devote one of our trip days to a whirlwind Harry Potter experience. I feel like I have to accommodate him, since its an anniversary trip… But I am already looking forward to our Summer 2016 trip, when we’ll bring our kiddos and stay for 8 or 9 days. I promise to spend full days in EP and AK on that trip! :wink:

Great to hear more support for Jiko, as I’m now somewhat fixated on that option. I do know that the menu at Le Cel would be a huge hit with DH, though…

Good thing I really enjoy pondering all this! :smile:

I support the Jiko choice because of the convenience of it being where you are staying. I have not tried it, but it’s on my list for our next trip for sure! I do, however, LOVE Flying Fish. It’s absolutely not “fishy” smelling, and the food is excellent. Maybe on your next trip. My kids loved it - really fun atmosphere and good kids’ dessert item - chocolate fondue.

[quote=“bswan26, post:10, topic:6785”]
For me AK is a full day and EP is at least 1 1/2, so doing both parks in 1 day is brutal in my eyes[/quote]

I agree with this when coming from the perspective of trying to somewhat completely experience each park in a day, however, for folks who visit regularly and may be ok with missing some headliner attractions and some of the best atmosphere, then visiting the two parks in a day could be a lot of fun. A lot depends on how folks want to spent an anniversary trip. Since it sounds like @Sally_Carrera is planning another more family focused trip this could be a good chance to slow down and spend some time at the resort, which is why I thought if Jiko. Animal Kingdom Lodge offers so many attractive things to see that a dinner there could be a great way to cap off a short stay. On the other hand, if Sally and her husband enjoy trying to see as many attractions as possible in a short time (I’m probably more in that camp myself), then dinner in the parks makes a lot of sense. Can’t really go wrong with any of the choices suggested on this thread!